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U.S 50 Star Flag - "A More Perfect Union"

U.S. 50 Star Flag Barack Obama - A More Perfect Union Speech.
In the election of 1840 the Democratic President Martin Van Buren faced the Whig party candidate, William Henry Harrison. Harrison, a patrician and soldier, was presented to the people as Old Tippecanoe, who had been born in a log cabin and drank hard cider like common folk. In an appeal to emotional and patriotic issues, national politics were ignored. Harrison's campaign was the first to make wide use of the US flag in his party's successful run for the presidency.

Noting that success the United States flag has figured largely in all candidates campaign decor since then and the election of 2008 was no exception. Here the Democratic candidate Senator Barack H. Obama faced Republican opponent Senator John McCain.

Senator Obama is bi-racial, the son of a Caucasian mother from Kansas and an African father from Kenya. He launched his campaign in early 2007 to be the Democratic Party's 2008 presidential nominee. His selection marked the first time a major American political party had chosen an American of African descent.
In March 2008, the American news media began examining the sermons of Obama's long-time pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Pastor Emeritus of Trinity United Church of Christ of Chicago, Il, in which Wright denounced the United States as racist and accused the government of crimes against people of color. Wright had said, among other things, "God damn America" for its racism and "for killing innocent people."

Candidate Obama, responding to the growing attention paid to Wrights controversial remarks began distancing himself from Wright, even removing him as a campaign staffer. However, Obama felt that he had failed to sufficiently address and explain the context of his relationship with Reverend Wright, and began writing a speech that eventually became "A More Perfect Union." He would later say that as he wrote the speech, he tried to ensure that his white mother, Ann Dunham, would have endorsed its sentiments.

Barack Obama delivered a More Perfect Union Speech on the 18th of March 2008 before an audience at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, PA. Obama couched his remarks in terms of the broader issue of race in the United States, and took his title from the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States; addressing racial tensions, privilege, inequality, African American anger and White resentment. He closed with a plea to move beyond America's "racial stalemate" and address common social problems.

The speech was delivered from a rostrum on a podium set up in the auditorium of the Constitution Center. On the podium behind the rostrum were eight United States flags arranged four on either side of Senator Obama. This is done so that no matter what angle a candidate id photographed from a flag or a portion of a flag will appear in the frame with him.

There is an adage in the American flag business about flags in political campaigns stemming from the election of 1984; Democrats rent and Republicans buy. Appropriately then these flags did not belong to the Democratic Party, the Obama Campaign or the Constitution Center; instead, they were rented from a Philadelphia flag company for the event.

This flag is marked inside the bottom of the sleeve in black ink Obama #2, and is reported to be the flag on Obama's immediate left. It was acquired directly from the Humphrey's Flag Co. of Philadelphia, PA.

Comment: The United States flag has figured prominently in all candidates
campaign decor since it was effectively used by the patrician and soldier William
Henry Harrison in the election of 1840. The 2008 election was no exception, and
the Democratic candidate Senator Barack Obama used flags as a backdrop when
he delivered his "A More Perfect Union" address on the topic of race in America
at Philadelphia's National Constitution Center.

President Obama framed his remarks in terms of the broader issue of race
in the United States, and took his title from the Preamble to the Constitution
of the United States; addressing racial tensions, privilege, inequality, African
American anger, and white resentment. He closed with a plea to move beyond
America's "racial stalemate" and address common social problems.
The flags selected were eight fringed U.S. parade or presentation flag
sets in floor stands. In modern American politics image is everything and most
campaign managers will use redundant flags on stage to ensure that a flag will
appear next to or behind a candidate regardless of the angle from which he or she
is photographed.

There is an adage in the American flag business about flags in political
campaigns stemming from the election of 1984 "Democrats rent and Republicans
buy". Appropriately then, these flags did not belong to the Democratic Party, the
Obama campaign or the Constitution Center; instead, they were rented from a
Philadelphia flag company for the event.

Provenance: Acquired in 2008 by the Zaricor Flag collection (ZFC3242) directly
from the Humphreys Flag Co. of Philadelphia, PA. www.FlagCollection.com

Supported by the Zaricor Family & Flag Center dba - Powered by Bowerbird™